Buildings - how close?
#1
I am building a very narrow switching plank with industries place along both sides. Along the back they are little more than flats - maybe 1/2 inch depth. I want to create the impression of and industrial canyon in a fairly modern business park (perhaps buildings no older than the 1960s maybe a bit newer) in a medium size midwestern city. Anyway my question is how close to each other can buildings be and still look prototypical? The closer they are on the model the less I have to worry about the gaps and merging the buildings into the background.

thanks
Phil
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#2
Hello Phil, welcome!

In most modern industry parks the buildings are spaced more then we would appreciate. However, one of the so often used exceptions is Vernon in LA county.
Have a look at the E.44.St between S. Soto St and S. Boyle Ave. The tracks are at the north side, the E.44. street is a the the south of the industry lots. All buildings are virtually connected to each other. Lots of other buildings in Vernon are separated by small parking lots only. It is one of the most RR dense area in this time in the US.
Reinhard
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#3
Phil;

Here are some examples of "Midwest" industrial spurs that may give you ideas:

Memphis, TN: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=pv2n6x7...orm=LMLTCC Follow that spur east and you'll see some structures that are right against each other.

Marietta, GA: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=pnwxwd7...orm=LMLTCC Note this spur that is between I-75 and the industrial buildings. Follow the spur south - industries are pretty close together.

Maryland Heights, MO: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=qfjbqw7...orm=LMLTCC Following this spur to the west you also see some industrial buildings that are pretty closely spaced.

Not exactly "Midwest" but a good example just the same. Orlando, FL: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=nrxcs88...orm=LMLTCC Industries on this spur are pretty well packed in together.
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
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#4
As Ed's link show industries can be close together however,in our lopsided modeling world we must remember to leave room for our fingers and line of view.

However.

IMHO as long as one is comfortable the the finger space and view I see no real reason not to space industries close together even when using one industry per siding as long as we can spot cars without fouling the switch..

Like so.

On my planned Slate Creek Industrial Lead I am using four long building flats with individual sidings and each one has several spots so,I need to space these out to a 30" piece of flex track which should give a crowded look.For the "canyon" look I will place industries along the front edge remembering the finger room and view rule.
Larry
Engineman

Summerset Ry

Make Safety your first thought, Not your last!  Safety First!
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#5
I don't know what era you model, but I have seen photos of trackage that just barely fits into those industrial canyons, barely enough clearance for the locos and rolling stock.
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#6
You didn't mention what scale you are modeling in. With n-scale or even ho, scale distance from freight cars to loading doors will be closer than your fingers will fit. How you plan to uncouple cars for spotting at your industries will determine spacing from the tracks. As far as how close buildings are to each other, in large cities, whether Los Angeles, Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, or NYC, property is at a premium, and an industry will maximize the use of their real estate to the point of even putting the parking lot on the roof, or in the basement. therefore the buildings will often seem to be built side by side with what looks to be common joining walls.
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#7
Russ,As you know there are several ways to uncouple cars and in my experience a uncoupling magnet is the best thing to use in tight quarters instead of our fat fingers( no longer a good idea with today's highly detailed cars) or a bamboo skewer since a skewer can lead to a derailment which we need to avoid in tight areas especially if the structure(s) is highly detailed.
Larry
Engineman

Summerset Ry

Make Safety your first thought, Not your last!  Safety First!
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#8
        Here's a couple of images from my collection of info on the Los Angeles Junction Ry's Horn Lead. As you can see it is very compact. This is one of the places visited by Reinhard, Russ & me 7/20/11. The 1st one is the the track chart & the 2nd is the aerial. The industry in upper left is Federal Cold Storage. Below that is Southland Box Co. & to the right of that is General Mills. The only one getting rail service today is General Mills. But in my '60s era version they'll all get rail service! The east-west streets are District Bl top & Fruitland Av bottom. On the left side of the aerial is the UP San Pedro Sub. The connection w/ the J is just about a block north.
Andy Jackson
Santa Fe Springs CA
ATSF/LAJ Ry Fan & Modeler
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#9
Thanks chaps. Very useful. Just what I needed. When I have something worth photographing I will post.
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#10
If you find a particular prototype location, you can use the ruler tool to measure the distances in Google Earth (the program, not the "maps" page). Its free, and worth it. you can measure in metric or standard, its useful for getting approximate distances, certainly enough to figure exactly what you need.
Modeling New Jersey Under the Wire 1978-1979.  
[Image: logosmall.png]
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#11
Looking back at this thread I noticed that on Ed's bing link to Maryland heights there are 2 buildings that are only a narrow tree width apart. My original post was partly aimed at how close to each other I could put building flats along the front of the layout - they need to be fairly close as they are intended to provide some safety protection as my layout is in a stairwell :o , but I want gaps to provide a frame for looking at the trains. Anyway, a separate issue is the flats and low relief industrial buildings along the back of the layout and how to disguise their "disappearance" into the backscene when viewed from baseboard height. I had thought about trees but dismissed it as likely to be a bit unprototypical because of tree root damage - clearly, and happily, I was wrong!
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